Water production system and method with air bypass

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for condensing water vapor in air to extract liquid water includes an air duct, an air movement device, and a refrigeration system. The air duct has an entry port, an intermediate port, and an exit port; while the refrigeration system includes at least one evaporator and condenser within the air duct. The air movement device may be a fan within the air duct, to cause air flow through the condenser and out the exit port. The air has a dew point, and the evaporator temperature is at that dew point or less, to cause liquid water to condense on the evaporator&#39;s exterior surface. The intermediate port of the air duct is between the evaporator and condenser, such that air can enter the air duct by at least two paths: through the entry port and evaporator, and through the intermediate port which bypasses the evaporator.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/102,120, entitled “Methods and Systems for Potable WaterProduction,” filed Oct. 2, 2008, and to U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 61/184,956, entitled “Method And System For Water Recovery FromAir Using Combined Receiver And Water Cooled Condenser,” filed Jun. 8,2009, the entirety of both of which are incorporated herein byreference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to production of water, and morespecifically to improved systems and methods for extracting water fromwater vapor, for example from the atmosphere.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ambient air naturally contains some quantity of water vapor, so thegeneral atmosphere is a potential water source. Extracting this waterfrom the surrounding atmosphere presents several challenges. Otherattempts to produce water from atmospheric air have typically fallenshort of the desirable criteria, including efficiency in the amount ofwater produced per the amount of energy used, extracting the greatestpossible percent of the moisture available in the air under localconditions, and producing acceptable quantities of water at all times ofday and in various weather, seasons, and climates. Therefore,atmospheric water vapor is an essentially untapped source of greatlyneeded water supplies that is potentially available worldwide.

Refrigeration systems have been known for some time. Vapor-compressioncycle refrigeration systems are most common today, but other types ofrefrigeration are possible including gas absorption and heat pumps. Ifthe refrigeration system uses a vapor compression cycle, it may includea compressor, evaporator, expansion valve, and condenser. Diagrams of anexample vapor compression refrigeration system, and its thermodynamicoperation, are shown in FIGS. 11-13.

Most refrigeration systems have some cooling element, through which airpasses to shed heat and reach a lower temperature. In a vaporcompression cycle refrigeration system, the cooling surface of thecooling element will be an exterior surface of the evaporator. Anevaporator having a temperature of at most a dew point of air contactingthe evaporator will cause liquid water to condense on an exteriorsurface of the evaporator.

Whenever this cooling element has a temperature at or less than thelocal dew point of the air, water vapor in the air will tend to condenseinto droplets of liquid water. When a cooling element has a temperatureat or less than the freezing point of water, such as in a freezer, watervapor in the air will tend to condense and then freeze into ice.

In most residential and commercial refrigeration systems, thiscondensation is considered undesirable, and some refrigeration systemseven have features for ameliorating them. However, the principlescausing such condensation can be used to produce liquid water from watervapor in atmospheric air.

Exemplary methods of water production and accompanying apparatus aredescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,343,479, entitled “Potable Water CollectionApparatus” which issued on Feb. 5, 2002, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,101,entitled “Multipurpose Adiabatic Potable Water Production Apparatus AndMethod” which issued on Oct. 17, 2006, the entire contents of both ofwhich are incorporated by reference.

These patented methods and devices present viable means of extractingliquid water from atmospheric air, including apparatus for transformingatmospheric water vapor into potable water, and particularly forobtaining drinking quality water through the formation of condensedwater vapor on surfaces maintained at a temperature at or below the dewpoint for a given ambient condition. The surfaces upon which the watervapor is condensed are kept below the dew point by a refrigerant mediumcirculating through a closed fluid path, which includes refrigerantevaporation apparatus, thereby providing cooling of air flowing throughthe device, and refrigerant condensing apparatus to complete therefrigeration cycle.

It is desirable to be able to control the amount of and temperature ofthe air passing over the evaporator to provide efficient and economicalwater production during conditions when the ambient wet bulb and drybulb temperatures indicate high relative humidity or less than idealatmospheric conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention advantageously provides a system, device andmethod for extracting water from air. A water production system mayinclude an air duct, an air movement device, and a refrigeration system.The air duct may have an entry port, an intermediate port, and an exitport. The air movement device may be a fan inside the air duct. Therefrigeration system may include a cooling element such as for examplean evaporator as well as a condenser within the air duct, with theevaporator maintaining a temperature at the dew point or less, to causeliquid water to condense on the evaporator.

The air duct defines a first air flow path sequentially through theentry port, evaporator, condenser, and exit port. And the air duct alsodefines a second air flow path sequentially through the intermediateport, condenser, and exit port. This second air flow path bypasses theevaporator.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the intermediate port mayremain open, or may be fitted with a bypass valve to control the bypassair flow. If a bypass valve is provided, it may be binary (open orclosed) or fully adjustable to a variety of positions between andincluding open or closed. A bypass valve may be manually operated orhave an automatic controller, which may operate the bypass valveaccording to certain conditions including the air temperature andhumidity. A controller may for example be programmed to open the bypassvalve when the air exceeds a selected temperature, and to close thebypass valve when the air falls below that temperature.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the air duct may alsohave at least one additional intermediate port, such that theintermediate port may provide a conditional air bypass, and theadditional intermediate port may provide a persistent air bypass.

The elements of a water production system according to the presentinvention may be selected from among many different suitable materialshaving the desired physical properties. Some of these characteristicsmay include for example strength, thermal insulation or transmission,corrosion resistance, and material performance in a broad range oftemperatures and pressures. Acceptable materials may include metals suchas for example copper, aluminum, steel, stainless steel, as well aspolymers.

Of course, a water collection vessel may be positioned proximate, e.g.,under, the evaporator to collect liquid water.

In accordance with another aspect the present invention provides amethod of using a water production system to extract water from air. Thewater production system includes a refrigeration system having a coolingelement and an air duct having an entry port, an intermediate port, andan exit port in which the air movement device is operated to cause airto flow along a first flow path into the entry port, through the coolingelement, and out the exit port, and along a second flow path into theintermediate port, and out the exit port, thus bypassing the coolingelement. The refrigeration system is operated to cause the coolingelement to maintain a temperature of at most a dew point of aircontacting the cooling element. Liquid water is condensed on an exteriorsurface of the cooling element and the liquid water is collected.

A more complete understanding of the present invention, and itsassociated advantages and features, will be more readily understood byreference to the following description and claims, when considered inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention, and theattendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readilyunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of an exemplary water productionsystem with air bypass constructed in accordance with the principles ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exterior perspective view of a water production systemconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a water production system constructed inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic top view of the exemplary water productionsystem of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic side view of the exemplary water productionsystem of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 6 is a partial exploded view of refrigeration system components ofan exemplary water production system, constructed in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a partial exploded view of refrigeration and structuralcomponents of an exemplary water production system, constructed inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of an exemplary water productionsystem with air bypass constructed in accordance with the principles ofthe present invention;

FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of an exemplary water productionsystem with air bypass constructed in accordance with the principles ofthe present invention;

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of the water production system ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a psychrometric chart of water, showing the physicalproperties of moist air at sea level;

FIG. 12 is a representative diagram of temperature and entropy for anexemplary refrigerant; and

FIG. 13 is a representative diagram of a known refrigeration system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention advantageously provides an improved system andmethod for extracting water from water vapor, for example from theatmosphere. The water production system of the present invention mayhave various sizes, arrangements and features.

Some aspects of the present invention relate to combinations ofcomponents and method steps for implementing systems and methods toimprove the efficiency and operation of water production systems.Accordingly, some components have been represented where appropriate byconventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specificdetails that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of thepresent invention, so as to avoid details that will be readily apparentto those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of thisdescription.

Relational terms, such as “first” and “second,” “top” and “bottom,” andthe like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity or element fromanother entity or element, without necessarily requiring or implying anyphysical or logical relationship or order between such entities orelements.

Referring to the drawings, various embodiments of water productiondevices are illustrated. The illustrations of course depict only some ofmany different possible designs that are within the scope of the presentinvention. In particular, the present invention encompasses waterproduction systems having numerous combinations of elements, and thedescription of any element also contemplates providing more than one ofthat element. For clarity and convenience, the present detaileddescription will only describe a few specific embodiments of the presentinvention.

An apparatus for extracting water from the water vapor in atmosphericair may generally include an air duct, a refrigeration system, and anair movement device. The air duct may have one or more ports, includingan entry port and an exit port. The air movement device may be a fandisposed within the air duct, operable to draw air through the air duct.

In some embodiments of the present invention, an intermediate port maybe provided between the entry port and exit port, such that the air ductdefines a first and second air flow path. The first air flow path mayproceed sequentially through the entry port, evaporator, condenser, andexit port. In contrast, the second air flow path may proceedsequentially through the intermediate port, condenser, and exit port,thus bypassing the evaporator. In other words, with the intermediateport being positioned between the evaporator and condenser, air canenter the air duct: (i) through the entry port and evaporator, and (ii)through the intermediate port, bypassing the evaporator. The airmovement device in such embodiments is capable of moving air through theair duct along the first and second air flow paths.

The refrigeration system may be of various types, including vaporcompression cycles, gas absorption and heat pumps. Regardless of whichtype of refrigeration system is chosen, the refrigeration system shouldhave at least one cooling element, with an exterior cooling surface.During operation, the cooling surface is maintained at a temperaturewhich is at or less than a dew point of air. In other words, atmosphericair flowing through a water production system can contact a coolingelement of a refrigeration system having a temperature of at most thedew point, to cause liquid water to condense on a cooling surface.

With specific reference to the drawings, in which like referencedesignators refer to like elements, an exemplary embodiment of a waterproduction system according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 1,and is generally designated as “10.” Water production system 10 has asubstantially rectangular air duct or passage 12, a refrigeration system14 a-b, and an air movement device in the form of a fan 16.

As is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the air duct 12 may have variousconfigurations of entry ports, intermediate ports, and exit ports. Inthe embodiment depicted in the drawings, air duct 12 has four entryports 18 a-d (referred to collectively herein as “entry port 18”), atleast four intermediate ports 20 a-d (referred to collectively herein as“intermediate port 20”), and a large exit port 22. The exit port 22 ispositioned at one end of the air duct 12, and the fan 16 is positionednear the exit port 22.

The refrigeration systems 14 a and 14 b (referred to collectively hereinas “refrigeration system 14”) of the present invention may also havevarious arrangements of refrigeration components, including for examplecompressors 24 a and 24 b (referred to collectively herein as“compressor 24”), evaporators 28 a-d (referred to collectively herein as“evaporators 28”), expansion valves 26 a-d (referred to collectivelyherein as “expansion valves 26”), and condensers 30 a-d (referred tocollectively herein as “condensers 30”). An evaporator 28 and acondenser 30 may both be positioned within an air duct 12 of the presentinvention. The refrigeration system may provide one or more closedcircuits for a refrigerant medium. For example, a refrigeration circuitmay be arranged from a compressor, to a condenser, to an expansionvalve, to an evaporator, and back to the compressor.

The particular embodiment of a water production system shown in FIGS. 1and 2 provides two separate refrigeration systems 14 a and 14 b,including two compressors 24 and four expansion valves 26, and fourmatching sets of evaporators 28 and condensers 30. The sets ofevaporators 28 and condensers 30 are orthogonally arranged to define arectangular air duct 12 through the fan 16.

Water production systems according to the present invention may have oneor more bypass ports that remain open, or may be selectively opened andclosed, either in a binary or selectively adjustable fashion. Forexample, water production system 10 may be provided with intermediateports 20 defined on the top of the water production system between eachpair of evaporators 28 and condensers 30, and additional intermediateports 32 a and 32 b (referred to collectively herein as “intermediateports 32”) defined on both sides of each pair of evaporators 28 andcondensers 30.

Accordingly, in the present embodiment there are: (i) four sets of firstflow paths, each of which begins with an entry port 18, proceeds throughan evaporator 28, then a condenser 30, and out the exit port 22; and(ii) four sets of second flow paths, each of which begins withintermediate ports 20 and 32, proceeds through a condenser 30, and outthe exit port 22, thus bypassing the evaporators.

The operating temperature of the evaporator depends upon the pressure ofthe refrigerant flowing through it. This refrigerant pressure isaffected, in turn, by the volume of air flowing through the evaporator.By passing a portion of air flowing through the air duct directly to thecondenser without passing through the evaporator, refrigerant pressurein the evaporator is lowered, and the operating temperature of theevaporator is lowered, thereby improving the efficiency of the system toproduce water.

Differing types of intermediate ports are possible. For example,intermediate ports may have a variety of shapes, including square,rectangular, polygonal, rounded, circular, and even irregular shapes.Likewise, intermediate ports may have any suitable arrangement,positioning, number, or layout. A singular intermediate port maysuffice, or a series of smaller intermediate ports may be used.

Bypass ports may also be controllable, with bypass valves that may beopened or closed, or may be selectively adjusted to numerous discretepartially-open positions, or may be manipulated continuously to anyarbitrary position inclusively between an open or closed position. Ifmore than one intermediate port is provided or more than one bypassvalve is provided, then they may all be collectively adjusted or movableas a group, or individually, or in any desired combination orarrangement.

Again, differing types and shapes of bypass valves are possible. Forexample, bypass valves may be planar, louvered, an iris diaphragm, orany other suitable shape. Bypass valves may also move in different ways,including for example rotating, sliding, hinged turning, expansion andcontraction. Moreover, the elements of a bypass valve 34 may havevarious physical characteristics, including flexible, inflexible, andresilient.

In particular, a bypass valve 34 a-d (referred to collectively herein as“bypass valves 32”) may be affixed to intermediate ports 20, selectivelyoperable between open and closed positions. Bypass valves 34 may also beselectively operable to a plurality of partially open positions betweenthe open and closed positions. Bypass valves may be manually operable orautomatic, programmed to change positions in response to any suitablecondition(s), including at selected times, temperatures, humidity,geographic location, the presence or absence of sunlight or otherweather conditions, etc. In addition, although the drawing figures showfour bypass valves 34, fewer or greater than four can be implemented asneeded. It is also contemplated that the bypass valves 34 can beoperated, i.e., opened/closed, together or each individual bypass valve34 can be separately controlled.

As is shown in FIG. 3, one or more controllers 36 may be provided tooperate the bypass valves according one or more selected criteria, whichmay for example include air temperature, humidity, time of day, or eventhe amount of water in a collection container. In other words, thecontroller 36 may be operative to open the bypass valve 34 when the airexceeds a selected temperature, and to close or partially close thebypass valve when the air falls below the selected temperature. Thistransition temperature may be selected by determining the temperature atwhich, with the bypass valves closed, the evaporator reaches its maximumair flow capacity.

The controller 36 may have any configuration suitable for controllingone or more bypass valves as desired, including for exampleelectromechanical timers and apparatus for manipulating valvecomponents, or computer or CPU-based systems that are programmable toadjust bypass valve(s) according to a variety of inputs and conditions.Different sensors or input devices may be used to guide the controller,including for example a clock, timer, thermometer, humidity sensor, rainsensor, light sensor, etc.

In differing conditions, whether for example atmospheric, climate, time,humidity, or daylight, a different component or subsystem of arefrigeration system may reach its capacity. For example, at hightemperatures and high humidity, operation of the refrigeration systemmay be limited by the capacity of an evaporator, so it may be desirableto allow some or more air flow to bypass that evaporator. Conversely forexample, at lower temperatures, operation of the refrigeration systemwill tend not to exceed the capacity of an evaporator, so it may bedesirable to lessen the bypass air flow.

Accordingly, the bypass valves may be closed at lower temperatures,thereby allowing more air to flow over the evaporator. At highertemperatures, the bypass valves may be opened, thereby allowing more airover the condenser in comparison to the amount of air flowing over theevaporator. Less air over the evaporator will tend to lower therefrigerant temperature in the evaporator.

In one embodiment, the bypass valve position may be controlled by astepper motor. A specific example water production system may operatewith the bypass valves closed, for example at approximately 10 pounds ofair per minute. With the bypass valves open, the air pressure capacitymay drop to about 8 pounds per minute, thereby requiring less energy tooperate. With larger bypass ports, the air pressure capacity may be ableto be lowered to approximately 5 pounds per minute.

The additional intermediate ports 32 may remain open and provide apersistent air bypass, in that air flowing into additional intermediateports 32 bypasses the evaporators 28. In contrast, adjustableintermediate ports 20 may provide a conditional air bypass. Depending onthe condition of the bypass valves 34, whether they are open, partiallyopen, or closed, air may flow into intermediate ports 20 and bypass theevaporators 28 to a greater or lesser extent.

While conventional refrigeration systems may be optimized for coolingthe air in a chamber, water production systems are optimized forproduction of water. Accordingly, bypass ports may be desirable becauseotherwise a water production system such as system 10 will tend toexceed the air flow capacity of the evaporators. If desired for improvedefficiency and operation, the water production system may be optimizedby selecting condensers with a greater capacity for air flow than theevaporators.

In embodiments having more than one evaporator and condenser, it mayalso be desirable to connect the evaporators to the refrigeration systemin parallel, and yet connect the condensers to the refrigeration systemin series. In this case, the refrigeration system may be arranged tocause the refrigerant to exit the first condenser in a gaseous state,and to exit the second condenser in a liquid state, such that the firstcondenser acts as a de-superheater.

Water production systems of the present invention may also be providedwith an ice sensor 38 capable of sensing ice buildup on an evaporator28, and a switch 40 coupled with the ice sensor 38 to shut off therefrigeration system 14 when ice is present, with the air movementdevice 16 remaining in operation.

With specific reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, each refrigeration circuit mayinclude a compressor 24, a first and second evaporator 28, a first andsecond expansion valve 26, and a first and second condenser 30. Therefrigerant passes sequentially from the compressor 24 to the firstcondenser 30, then to the second condenser 30, then to the expansionvalve 26, then simultaneously to both of the first and secondevaporators 28, and then returns to the compressor 24.

Another embodiment of the present invention may provide one or moreadditional refrigeration systems. For example, the illustratedembodiment includes an additional compressor and expansion valve. Thefirst and second refrigeration systems define separate closed-looprefrigerant paths, and each refrigeration system is arranged in asimilar fashion.

Of course, one or more water collection vessels or containers 42 may bepositioned near the evaporators 28 for collecting the liquid water. Ifdesired, these containers 42 may be further coupled to additional watertreatment apparatus, or filtration systems, etc.

In operation of the water production systems of the present invention, amethod of extracting water from air may include, for example, providingan air duct having an entry port, an intermediate port, and an exitport; providing an air movement device; and providing a refrigerationsystem including a cooling element. The method may also includeoperating the air movement device to cause air to flow along a first andsecond air flow path. The first flow path may be into the entry port,through the cooling element, and out the exit port, while the secondflow path may be into the intermediate port, and out the exit port, thusbypassing the cooling element. The method according to the presentinvention may further include operating the refrigeration system tocause the cooling element to maintain a temperature of at most a dewpoint of air contacting the cooling element. The present invention mayalso include condensing liquid water on an exterior surface of thecooling element, and collecting the liquid water.

In the method of the present invention, a bypass valve may further beprovided, and may also include determining a temperature of the air,opening the bypass valve when the temperature exceeds a selectedtemperature, and closing the bypass valve when the temperature fallsbelow the selected temperature. The method of the present invention mayalso include adjusting one or more bypass valves in response to avariety of conditions, inputs or sensors, including for example athermometer, clock, timer, humidity sensor, rain sensor, light sensor,etc.

The method of the present invention may also include, when the air ductfurther has an additional intermediate port and a bypass valve capableof opening and closing the intermediate port, maintaining the additionalintermediate port open during operation of the water production system.

In a specific example embodiment of the present invention, a waterproduction system may be provided as shown in the drawings, with variouscomponents being selected as follows: two matching refrigerationsystems, each having a 5 hp compressor, a pair of evaporators with anair flow capacity of 100 pounds of air per minute, an expansion valve,and a pair of condensers with an air flow capacity of 200 pounds of airper minute. The fan was selected having a capacity of 200 pounds of airper minute, and adjustable bypass valves were provided with a controllerset to open them above an ambient air temperature selected at 78 degreesFahrenheit, or 25.6 degrees Celsius. The resulting example embodimentproduced approximately 0.5 liters of water per minute.

With specific reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, another embodiment of a waterproduction system is depicted, showing an evaporator 44, condenser 46,expansion valve 48, fan housing 50, as well as an air bypass port 52enclosed by an air bypass duct 54.

Several advantages may be achieved with the present invention, includingfor example enhanced efficiency, lowering the amount of energy used toproduce a specific amount of water when operating the water productionsystem. Another advantage of the present invention includes broadeningthe possible environments, geographical areas, weather conditions, andtimes of day when the water production system of the present inventionmay be used effectively and efficiently. Moreover, the present inventionmay provide the advantage of balancing the respective capacities of thevarious refrigeration system components, such as for example thecapacity of one or more evaporators and condensers.

It should be understood that an unlimited number of configurations forthe present invention could be realized. The foregoing discussiondescribes merely exemplary embodiments illustrating the principles ofthe present invention, the scope of which is recited in the followingclaims. In addition, unless otherwise stated, all of the accompanyingdrawings are not to scale. Those skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the description, claims, and drawings that numerouschanges and modifications can be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

1. An apparatus for extracting water from air, comprising: an air ducthaving an entry port, an intermediate port, and an exit port; arefrigeration system, including an evaporator and a condenser within theair duct, the evaporator having a temperature of at most a dew point ofair contacting the evaporator, to cause liquid water to condense on anexterior surface of the evaporator; the air duct defining: a first airflow path sequentially through the entry port, evaporator, condenser,and exit port; and a second air flow path sequentially through theintermediate port, condenser, and exit port; and an air movement devicedisposed within the air duct, operable to draw air through the air ductalong the first and second air flow paths.
 2. The apparatus according toclaim 1, further comprising a bypass valve affixed to the intermediateport, selectively operable between an open position and a closedposition.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the bypassvalve is selectively operable to a plurality of positions between theopen position and the closed position.
 4. The apparatus according toclaim 2, further comprising a controller adapted to operate the bypassvalve according to a temperature and a humidity of the air.
 5. Theapparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller is operative toopen the bypass valve when the air exceeds a selected temperature, andto at least partially close the bypass valve when the air falls belowthe selected temperature.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising three additional evaporators and three additional condensers,such that four sets of an evaporator and condenser are orthogonallyarranged to define a rectangular air passage through the air movementdevice.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the exit port ispositioned at one end of the rectangular passage.
 8. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising a compressor, a first andsecond expansion valve, an additional evaporator, and an additionalcondenser, wherein a refrigerant in the refrigeration system passessequentially from the compressor to the condenser, the additionalcondenser, the expansion valves, the evaporators, and then returns tothe compressor.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein theevaporator and additional evaporator are connected to the refrigerationsystem in parallel, and the condenser and additional condenser areconnected to the refrigeration system in series.
 10. The apparatusaccording to claim 8, wherein a refrigerant in the refrigeration systemexits the condenser in a gaseous state and exits the additionalcondenser in a liquid state such that the condenser acts as ade-superheater.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 8, furthercomprising a second refrigeration system, the second refrigerationsystem including a second compressor, a third expansion valve, and afourth expansion valve, wherein the first and second refrigerationsystems define separate closed-loop refrigerant paths.
 12. The apparatusaccording to claim 2, wherein the air duct further comprises anadditional intermediate port, the intermediate port providing aconditional air bypass, the additional intermediate port providing apersistent air bypass.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe condenser has a greater capacity for air flow than the evaporator.14. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an icesensor, the ice sensor sensing ice buildup on the evaporator; and aswitch coupled to the ice sensor to shut off the refrigeration systemwhen ice is present.
 15. The apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising a water collection vessel positioned proximate to theevaporator for collecting water.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the air movement device is a fan.
 17. An apparatus forextracting water from air, comprising: an air duct having an entry port,an intermediate port, and an exit port; a refrigeration system, therefrigeration system including an evaporator and a condenser within theair duct, the evaporator having a temperature of at most a dew point ofair contacting the evaporator to cause liquid water to condense on anexterior surface of the evaporator; an air movement device disposedwithin the air duct, operable to cause air to flow through the condenserand out the exit port; and the intermediate port being positionedbetween the evaporator and condenser, such that air can enter the airduct: (i) through the entry port and evaporator, and (ii) through theintermediate port, bypassing the evaporator.
 18. A method of using awater production system to extract water from air, the water productionsystem including a refrigeration system having a cooling element, and anair duct having an entry port, an intermediate port, and an exit port,the method comprising: operating the air movement device to cause air toflow along: a first flow path into the entry port, through the coolingelement, and out the exit port; and a second flow path into theintermediate port, and out the exit port, thus bypassing the coolingelement; operating the refrigeration system to cause the cooling elementto maintain a temperature of at most a dew point of air contacting thecooling element; condensing liquid water on an exterior surface of thecooling element; and collecting the liquid water.
 19. The methodaccording to claim 18, wherein the water production system also includesa bypass valve located proximate the intermediate port, whereinoperating the air movement device further comprises: determining atemperature of air; opening the bypass valve when the temperatureexceeds a selected temperature to allow air to flow into theintermediate port; and at least partially closing the bypass valve toresist flow of air into the intermediate port when the temperature fallsbelow the selected temperature.
 20. The method according to claim 18,wherein the water production system also includes an additionalintermediate port and bypass valve located proximate the intermediateport, wherein operating the air movement device further comprises:selectively opening and closing the bypass valve to allow and resist airflow into the intermediate port, respectively, and maintaining theadditional intermediate port in an open position.